Nagareboshi
by russewithlove
Summary: When I look up at the sky, the stars, see, are sparkling. I close my eyes and make a vow in my heart, and entrust my dreams to that shooting star. Yaoi, eventual nejisasu. AU.
1. Shikaeru

Another attepmt at a MC story. So far, all I've been able to write have been one-shots. Hopefully, I'll be able to commit to this one, instead of scrapping it like I usually end up doing.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.

* * *

"Nagareboshi ka?" (**1**)

Sasuke smiled faintly, closing his eyes. Neji moved closer.

When Sasuke opened them, Neji's lips were on his, pressing softly and sweetly.

Blood rising to his cheeks, Sasuke sat feeling shocked for a moment, before smiling again and kissing back.

And, as if trying to set the perfect backdrop for this heartwarming scene, the stars twinkled brightly, contrasting against the night sky. By this time, the shooting star had vanished, leaving both boys' wishes granted.

* * *

**6:05 A.M.**

Darkness. It was everywhere. Pitch black.

"Only in _my_ dreams," he thinks.

It was maddening. Everywhere he looked, nothing. It seemed as though he had been there for hours, this black abyss.

But that couldn't be, he knows, even in unconsciousness. The beatings had lasted until late, and he had only lost consciousness three, maybe four, hours ago, when the pain subsided enough.

But now, he didn't know if he wouldn't rather be awake, facing him again, than be here. Not that here was bad, it was just so damned _boring_.

The need for sleep already consumed much of the precious hours he had that he could be working. He'd much rather be asleep, but even that extra bit of money would help.

In a way, it wasn't all that bad. The blissful unconsciousness of sleep let him forget. Let him be numb. Let his aching mind rest for a few good hours while his brain sorted through, deleted, and replayed the fragments of information his short-term memory had collected in the form of a dream.

He hated dreams.

He preferred the pitch black unconsciousness of a dream-less sleep.

It was comforting. It made him forget. But this time, the Gods of sleep were punishing him, forcing him to be awake during it.

Technically, he wasn't really awake, he was unconscious, sleeping, lost in that wonderful black abyss.

This time, instead of his mind shutting down, not allowing him to think at all, it made him aware of himself wandering in that "dream."

Which made it that much more annoying.

Oh, the agony.

* * *

**6:15 A.M.**

Sasuke moaned, opening bleary eyes to gaze at the clock that sat on top of his bedside table.

He had woken before his alarm again, a nasty habit he had recently picked up from God knows where.

He really needed to get more sleep, Sasuke noted as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror.

There were dark bags under his eyes.

He had been losing a lot of sleep lately because

_(the beatings had gotten so much worse)_

he had so much on his plate right now, it was getting too much to handle.

Sasuke was down to about three to four hours of sleep a night now, and he didn't know how much longer it would be before he started passing out during school again.

Sasuke hurriedly got dressed and left for school, not eating breakfast no matter how much he wanted to. He was lower on money now than ever before and he didn't think he could afford to go grocery shopping this week.

He walked to school, ignoring the hunger pangs because

_(he hadn't eaten in almost two days)_

he would get something to eat at lunch.

* * *

**7:15 A.M.**

He walked through the doors to

_(Hell)_

his school, went to his graffiti covered locker, got out the books he would need, dodged the fist that he knew was coming at him from behind, closed the locker, and turned around.

"Teme! Where were you yesterday?"

Sasuke sighed. He really didn't know why he put up with

_(his best friend)_

the idiot.

"I had work."

"You always say that!" Naruto whined. "Why do you have to work so much anyway. It's not like tuition here's that expensive. What would you need that much money for?"

The look on Sasuke's face told him he had gone a bit too far, which

_(he seemed to be doing too often lately)_

made Naruto immediately regret pushing the subject further.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke replied tonelessly.

"Ne, Sasuke, want to go to 'katsuki tonight? I dunno how we'll get in though. What do you think?" Naruto was changing the subject, for which Sasuke was grateful. But he wished Naruto hadn't invited him to go there, but he guessed he owed Naruto for ditching him so often lately.

"Yeah," Sasuke forced out, "...I know how to get in."

Akatsuki was a local night club. Sasuke and Naruto were still underage, being only 17, but Sasuke had some...connections. If you could consider secretly working there part time because the owner of the club happens to be your older brother, who happens to have fallen seriously ill a few months prior and had to be admitted into the hospital for long periods of time, which happens to be very expensive , connections, then yes, Sasuke had connections.

Naruto's face brightened. "All right!" he cheered as the bell rang.

They departed to their respective classes and Naruto was happy, so Sasuke was happy.

_(Is what Sasuke tried so desperately to convince himself)_

* * *

**2:43 P.M.**

Naruto and Sasuke met up outside the school.

"So I'll come by around 8, 'kay?"

"Okay."

Sasuke began to walk home, taking his time. There was no one expecting him home anyway.

_Thank God it's Frida- Shit!_ He had a shift at the restaurant today.

Luckily, it ended at 7:30, so he would not have to cancel on Naruto.

_(Again.)_

Sasuke sighed and quickened his pace so he could go home and get ready.

* * *

**7:45 P.M.**

Sasuke opened the door to his apartment. He slipped out of his shoes, and immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower before Naruto arrived. He had to get rid of the smell of food that always came with working at restaurants so Naruto wouldn't find out that he had been working again tonight. It would make him worry again, and Sasuke wanted Naruto to enjoy himself tonight.

Sasuke stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He grabbed another one for his hair and proceeded to dry it vigorously while walking to his room, in search of something to wear.

He pulled out his favorite pair of jeans, slightly low-cut with a few chains here and there. They were dark in color and a bit tattered from being worn so many times, but that only seemed to make them look more attractive.

Next, he picked out a black, high-collared short sleeve shirt with a slight V-neck shape to it. To go under that, he found a fishnet shirt in his dresser, which had sleeves slightly longer than his shirt had, so they reached just above his elbows, sticking out under the black shirt he would wear on top. Perfect. (**2**)

He got dressed and put on a few bracelets to complete the look: A simple black chain, a thin black and white checkered band, a thin silver chain, and about half a dozen of those thin, rubbery, black bracelets.

On the other wrist was the bracelet he never took off. It had bands of orange, black, red, and white intricately woven together to form cris-crosses around his wrist.

On the inside, very carefully carved was one word.

Yakusoku. Promise

It was their promise to each other.

Their promise to always be there for each other when they needed it.

Each color on the bracelet represented one of them. His most precious people.

Orange was Naruto's, of course. It was originally his idea to make the bracelets for the group.

He had been Sasuke's best friend since... forever. The two were inseparable. Everywhere Sasuke went, Naruto also went.

And everywhere Naruto went, Sasuke would surely be found there also.

They were eternal rivals, each constantly pushing the other to his limits, and then going beyond them.

They balanced each other out. Light and dark. Sun and moon.

You couldn't have one without the other.

Black was Itachi's. Being hospitalized most of the time, Itachi didn't get to see his younger brother much, so the bracelet, in a way, was a symbol of Itachi always being there for him.

Red was Sakura. Originally, it was to be pink, but Sasuke had simply refused to wear it if it was going to be pink. So, they made a compromise and went with red. After much arguing on both parts of course.

Sakura kept him balanced. She tended to be motherly and always fussed about Sasuke not taking care of himself properly.

She was like the big sister Sasuke never had.

She was who you went to when you wanted a home-cooked meal, needed a shoulder to cry on, or just couldn't decide what to wear.

In a way, she kept him sane.

And finally, white was Neji's.

Neji and Sasuke had been friends since the day they were born. Often, they were left to play together while their mother's gossiped and chatted.

They had been best friends until...until Sasuke met Naruto. After the massacre.

Of course, Sasuke and Neji remained friends, but Neji had gone through that inevitable stage of jealousy.

He fought for Sasuke's attention at first, which hadn't really seemed to work.

When all else failed, Neji avoided Sasuke and anything that had to do with him, secretly hoping that, that would drive them back together. It had been subtle at first, and then escalated until Neji slipped up and went too far.

The words had been so cruel, he couldn't believe they had come out of his mouth. And he found himself regretting them as soon as they were out.

He would never forget the look on Sasuke's face. Obsidian orbs filled with unshed tears, desperately being held back, and mouth hung slightly open in shock. Betrayed. Heartbroken.

It might as well have been written on his forehead.

Sasuke had walked away.

Walked until he was out of Neji's and then ran.

He ran without knowing where. When he calmed down enough to stop, it was raining and he was miles from home. Too tired to move any further, he climbed up into one of the thick trees for shelter from the rain, telling himself that his cheeks were only wet from the rain, nothing more.

Eventually, the cold became too unbearable, and he succumbed to that blissful ignorance known as sleep.

When he woke, he was lying in a soft, warm bed.

Looking around, he had immediately recognized the room as Neji's, with said owner sitting in a chair next to the bed with his head in his arms on the bed, fast asleep.

Sasuke had smiled, and Neji had been forgiven.

After that, the two continued to be friends, Neji realizing at last that Naruto had filled a spot in Sasuke's heart that he would never have been able to. But he accepted that, and was able to move on.

Things with Neji had been a bit awkward lately. Sasuke didn't really know why, but he would save that for a later time; he had other things to worry about.

* * *

**8:00 P.M.**

Sasuke heard the car horn beep outside.

"Tch, right on time," Sasuke said to himself.

The idiot was infuriatingly late to everything he went to, but he always came on time for Sasuke. Not to mention that Sasuke had chewed him out once for arriving late to pick him up from work, leaving the dark haired boy forced to stand shivering in the rain for 20 minutes.

Sasuke grabbed his wallet and his phone, shoved them in his pocket, stepped into his worn out, black Converse, and opened the door. He made his way out to the car, where Naruto was looking him over appreciatively.

"Hey, you sure clean up nice, huh, Sasuke-chan?" Naruto said cheekily.

Sasuke punched him in the arm, "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that, dobe?"

Naruto laughed, "Whatever you say, Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke growled and gave him a glare, but eventually gave in to Naruto's contagious laughter.

* * *

**1 - Nagareboshi means 'shooting star'. I had Sasuke say it like that because it just sounds so much cooler in Japanese xD**

**2 - Sasuke's outfit is based on one I had drawn a while ago, just for fun, when I was playing with the idea for my own ninja from the Naruto world. If anyone would like to see it, I'll put up a link somewhere, so let me know. (But be warned, it's just a sketch on a piece of notebook paper, nothing fancy. I don't want people to get their hopes up expecting a masterpiece of sorts. It's just so you can get an idea of what the outfit looks like, mostly the shirt, since I don't think it's very clear in the story.)**

**Oh, and for the beginning section about Sasuke and Neji that is overflowing with cheese, I won't exactly tell you what it's about, but I'll give you a hint: I decided to do this one Shippuuden style ;)**

**Kudos and a one-shot to anyone who guesses it. **

Review? 3


	2. Tomodachi

Chapter 2 is finally up! This one should be more exciting than the last, I hope.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Tomodachi - Friend**

* * *

By the time they reached the club, it was pitch black outside, the headlights of Naruto's car shining on the dark brick building being the only indication that they had arrived at Akatsuki.

Sasuke made to reach for the door handle and step out of the car, but Naruto spoke, halting his actions.

"Alright, so how do you plan on getting in?"

"Simple: we get out of the car, walk to the door, open it, and go inside."

Naruto gave him a playful shove, "Funny. Smart ass. Was that really your plan?"

"Actually, yes. Now come on." Sasuke got out of the car, Naruto eyeing him skeptically before following.

They walked up to the door, or rather, the line of anxious people waiting to get to the door. The wait was about ten minutes, which wasn't bad considering the popularity of the club, but it was getting cold and Naruto and Sasuke just wanted to get inside already.

Finally, it was their turn. The security guard at the door, who was as wide as he was tall, was checking Ids like he was staring at a Magic Eye painting. When they approached him, he opened his mouth, ready to ask for Ids, but the spotted Sasuke. The bouncer tilted his head toward Naruto, silently asking, "Is he with you, too?"

Sasuke gave a small nod and the guard lowered his mammoth arm to let them pass out of the cold and into the humid club where tank-topped, sweaty faced girls were three deep along the bar, waving twenties and clamoring for attention from the overwhelmed bartender.

"Told ya so," Sasuke mocked as soon as they were past the guard.

"Shut up, teme."

Upon entering the club, their senses were completely overwhelmed by the sights, smells, and sounds of alcohol, large masses of people dancing together, more darkness, the frequent pulses of blinding color from the strobe lights, and the loud music accompanied by a deep bass that seemed to shake the entire building and throb under their feet.

They weaved through the mass of bodies, Naruto's face brightening with excitement. "Come on, let's get some drinks first!" Naruto shouted over the music, dragging his friend over to the bar, where the bartender was furiously trying to keep up with the dozens of orders he received. Sasuke followed, a bit reluctant at first, but after having a drink

(or four)

he felt more relaxed. It seemed like Naruto was getting a bit tipsy as well.

The previous song ended and another began, this one openig with a heavy drum beat and the first few lyrics coming out in searing screams that had Sasuke wincing at the thought of the state of the singer's throat. The song alternated between the shredding screams and normal singing, from a vocalist who actually had a fairly nice voice. Sasuke found that he was actually enjoying himself, even nodding his head to the beat of the song.

Naruto noticed this and said, "Le'ss dance, S'suke," his words already becoming slurred.

Sasuke agreed and they headed out to the dance floor, easily blending in with the mass of bodies moving together.

It was intense, every part of Sasuke's body was in contact with someone else's. Arms were wrapped around his waist, and his own arms coming up around several strangers' necks as well. Hands grabbed at his ass, hips grinded together as they moved their way through the crowd. Soon, the song ended and a different one began, this one with an even faster beat and a heavier bass line.

The longer they danced, the louder the music seemed to get, but nothing was louder than the pounding of Sasuke's heart in his ears. His blood was racing, adrenaline pumping. Sasuke felt like he could go on for hours, with energy to spare.

He had missed this feeling. This euphoria. This high.

Sasuke usually worked 'backstage', or at the bar when he was here at the club, so he was never in on the dance floor much.

During a slower part of the song, or was it a different song? Sasuke couldn't tell the difference anymore, he looked around, obsidian orbs searching for a mass of blond hair in the crowd that had escaped his vision.

_Over there,_ Sasuke thought, _on the couch_.

The blond was lying on one of the expensive leather couches near the back of the club, with a dark-haired man lying on top of him. It looked like they were kissing.

Sasuke chuckled, and hoped that his friend wouldn't do something he would regret in the morning, like he himself had so many nights before.

Lost in his thoughts for a moment, the dark-haired teen did not notice a red-headed man approach him. Before he knew it, he was pushed up against the wall, pale hands gripping his equally pale wrists.

"Wha-!" Sasuke was cut off by the man's lips pressing themselves on his own. He didn't have a chance to get a good look at his captor, only that his eyes were a piercing shade of red, if that were possible. Sasuke wasn't sure anymore, he was so out of it. The alcohol was really beginning to take effect.

A tongue forced his lips to part, gaining entrance and exploring his mouth eagerly. Sasuke groaned, giving in to the kiss and closing his eyes.

_Damn, he's good. _

The hands still restraining his wrists released and dropped to his waist. He followed suit, wrapping his now freed arms around the stranger's neck.

_But he's so tall._

He was getting a crick in his neck from having to lean upward so much. As if answering his complaints, the other man broke the kiss, leaving Sasuke's bruised lips gasping for air, and moving to his neck, sucking and biting it.

Sasuke moaned, and the hands on his waist moved lower, then higher, roaming all over his body. Sasuke was too intoxicated to care. Besides, it felt so good.

It was getting hot. Too hot. If they didn't stop soon, who knew what it would lead to. Sasuke began to speak, but the stranger cut him off.

"How about we get a room?"

The red haired man's words crushed his previous train of thought, and, against his better judgment, Sasuke nodded.

The other man led him towards the back of the club, behind the bar, where the luxurious black leather couches were situated. To the left of those were a series of doors containing short hallways, which Sasuke found himself being pulled through. They stopped at one of the dark red doors near the end of the hall.

They went inside, and before Sasuke even got a glimpse of the room, the stranger had him pressed up against the wall again. Their lips met in another breathless kiss, and then the other man was pulling Sasuke's shirt over his head as they stumbled over to the plush, black comforter clad bed.

* * *

If he had to choose which pain was going to kill him first, Naruto would say it was the searing pain in his head. He tentatively opened his eyes, surprised to find that the lights were quite dim, instead of bright white like he had been expecting. He looked around a bit and saw the exhausted bartender wiping down the counter with a rag. Naruto guessed that he had been the one to turn down the lights out of courtesy for the hung over teens.

"Unghh," he groaned, "My head..."

Somewhere in the room, someone laughed.

Naruto sat up from where he was sprawled out on the couch, massaging the kinks in his neck. Then, immediately deciding it was a bad idea because his stomach lurched, and he felt sxtremely nauseous.

"Bathroom?" He turned to the bartender, who pointed to one of the doors, "Just down the hall, third on the left."

The blond got up and quickly went over to the door, bolting down the hall and into the bathroom. Once inside, he locked the door, hurried over to the toilet, and emptied the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl. When he felt a bit less sick, he flushed and collapsed to the tiled floor, catching his breath.

Eventually, the awful taste in his mouth forced him to get up and rinse in the sink. He noticed a bottle of mouthwash on the counter, "Man, they think of _everything_!" he exclaimed.

After he was sure that he wasn't going to throw up again, he left the bathroom and was about to go back out to the main room when he heard a loud _thump_ coming from what sounded like the room right next door.

He went over to the shiny, deep red door and knocked.

* * *

Sasuke awoke, black pillows obscuring his vision and realizing several things at once.

First, his head was killing him.

Next, he was ling in a _very_ comfortable bed. 

_Alone_, Sasuke added as an afterthought. He wasn't sure if he was plaintive or relieved about that yet.

And lastly, the area around his stomach was warm and sticky. Gross.

Sasuke reluctantly got out of the bed, trying desperately not to think about what he had let happen last night.

He glanced around the room and saw his clothes strewn about the floor from where they were eagerly pulled off the night before and haphazardly tossed away.

He shuffled around the room, picking up different articles of clothing and noticed a door close to where his shirt was lying. He opened it and discovered an elegant white bathroom, complete with a shower.

He finished gathering his clothes and immediately stepped into the shower, turning the water on cool atfirst to try to ease the nausea in his stomach from the hangover. He washed all of the remnants from the previous night off of his body, feeling a lot less uncomfortable afterwards. He stood in the shower a bit longer, enjoying the cool water on his heated body. Then, he shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a fluffy black towel from the rack on the wall.

As the fog from the shower cleared up, Sasuke slowly distinguished his reflection in the mirror.

The bags under his eyes had gotten even darker, his lips were slightly bruised and still red, and his pale neck was covered in red marks.

_Great,_ Sasuke thought, glad that he had worn a high-collared shirt. After he got dressed, he suddenly felt completely exhausted.

He slowly made his way back into the bedroom, planning to collapse onto the bed, but then deciding against it. Instead, he opted for leaning against the wall beside the bed and sliding down it, bringing his knees up to his chest slightly. He rested his arms on top of them, letting his head fall back against the wall with a loud _thump_.

A few moments later, he heard someone knocking on the door.

* * *

"Hello?" A voice called, after knocking and getting no response.

_That sounds like - _"Naruto?" Sasuke called from his seat on the floor against the wall.

The door opened, and sure enough, the black and orange clad teen ambled into the room, blue eyes scoping the room in search of his friend.

He finally spotted Sasuke seated on the floor and walked over.

"How come you're sitting on the- Are you crying?" Naruto asked worriedly.

Sasuke blinked in confusion, then found that his eyes were overflowing with moisture. He hadn't realized he'd been crying. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve and said, "It's nothing. So, what happened to you last night?"

Naruto didn't look convinced, but let it go for now.

"Not much. Got wasted. Passed out. Hangover," Naruto laughed.

Sasuke forced out a weak chuckle.

"Heh, well I can guess what happened to _you_ last night," the blonde teen said, gesturing to the bed, which was still messy and unmade from last night.

"...Yeah, I guess you can," Sasuke said quietly.

Sensing his friend's distress, Naruto tried to lighten the mood, "So, was he hot?"

Sasuke smiled at his attempt, "But of course."

* * *

-TBC-

Next chapter, the aftermath!

Reviews make me update faster.

Until then, pleasant somethings, everyone.


	3. Nakama Pt 1

Sorry for the slow update. I had this chapter written already for a while but was too lazy to type it up -sweatdrop-;

Anyway, I'm pretty disappointed with the amount of reviews I am getting for this story. It makes me feel like nobody's enjoying the story, which really kills my confidence. And it's happened before, I have completely lost faith in a story and deleted it, so don't think it won't happen again.

**So I'll wait til I get at least ****5 reviews**** for this chapter until I post the rest.**

**For now, thanks to the 2 people that took the time to review: kuzon234ray and Luna-Lunak!**

For any writers out there, you know how crappy it feels to have **92 hits **and **3 reviews **--

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Nakama: friend, comrade (stronger than 'tomodachi'), with a close or strong bond.

* * *

Sunlight shone in through the black curtains that hung on the floor to ceiling window, illuminating the contents of the small room. The brilliant light shone on the wooden desk in the corner of the room where a sleek black laptop rested, along with many sheets of scattered paper, revealing the neatly written text on them. It illuminated the poster-littered walls, eliminating all traces of darkness. And lastly, it shone on the bed that lay pushed up against the wall, exposing the two teens sleeping peacefully on it.

Sasuke lay slightly curled up on his side, raven colored hair mussed from shifting around in his sleep and soft lips parted slightly, drawing in slow breaths.

Beside him, Naruto lie on his side as well, gently pressed up against Sasuke's back. His golden bangs splayed lightly over his face, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. His right arm lay gently across Sasuke's waist, and the other arm was curled under his head as a makeshift pillow. The two were tangled up in the light blue sheets, the former teen because of the nightmares that forever plagued him, and the latter simply because he was a restless sleeper.

Sasuke stirred in his sleep, and, a few moments later, his impossibly dark eyes opened, wincing at the brightness. He deliberated about whether or not he should get up, but chose the latter when he realized Naruto's arm was around him.

It wasn't a romantic gesture really, because he and Naruto were very close, and they were quite comfortable with their level of physical contact. Besides, they had no romantic interest in each other whatsoever, as far as Sasuke knew at least.

So, Sasuke remained horizontal, waiting for his knuckle-head best friend to wake up.

About an hour later, Sasuke must have dozed off, because he opened his eyes and found Naruto sitting on top of him, cerulean eyes peering into his own.

Sasuke started.

"Good morning, sunshine," Naruto grinned.

Sasuke groaned, "Fuck off, dobe."

Said 'dobe' laughed, but remained where he was, "I don't think so. Not till you get up."

"Whatever, Uzumaki. I'm going back to sleep." And Sasuke promptly fell back onto his bed, with Naruto still sitting on top of him, and closed his eyes, preparing to do just that.

"Oh, no you don't," Naruto said as he grabbed the other teen's slim shoulders and shook him violently, "Wake. Up. You. Lazy. Bastard," each word was emphasized by another violent shake.

"Okay! I give! I give!" Sasuke exclaimed, "You do that one more time and I'm going to puke." He was still feeling the aftermath of his hangover.

It was Sunday morning, and Naruto had stayed the night at Sasuke's house because he sure as hell wasn't going home hung over and smelling of alcohol. Unless he had a deathwish. So, he had called his guardian, Iruka, and told him that he would be spending another night at Sasuke's.

So, this was how the duo ended up on the floor of Sasuke's living room on Sunday morning, playing violent Playstation games and eating pizza for breakfast.

Naruto cheered in triumph as his character pummeled Sasuke's into the ground, ripping out its still beating heart. Sasuke fell backwards onto the carpet in frustration, lying flat on his back.

"Dude, you suck," Naruto said as a large 'K.O.' flashed on the Tv screen.

"You blow," came the muffled reply. Sasuke had flipped over onto his stomach and had his head in his arms.

Naruto turned and plopped down next to him, holding himself up on his elbows.

"So, what do you wanna do now?"

"...mmh...dunno..." Sasuke mumbled, turning his head to gave Naruto. His eyes were slightly glazed over, giving them a bored, dead look.

"Jeez, you look miserable, 'Suke."

Naruto got up from the floor, grabbing Sasuke by his upper arm and pulling him up before reversing his momentum and tackling the other teen back down to the ground. There was a small 'oomph' as Sasuke hit the ground. He then fought back, using brute force that someone his size should not have, to throw Naruto off of him and switch their positions.

"I win."

"Not so fast, teme," Naruto suddenly threw himself upwards, successfully knocking Sasuke backwards.

And so, the wrestling match ensued, each teen gaining the upper hand and then losing it just as quickly.

About half an hour later, they ended up lying on the soft white carpet in the center of Sasuke's living room, Sasuke on top of Naruto, both teens gasping for breath.

"This isn't...(pant)...over...(pant)...yet!" With a sudden burst of strength, Naruto flipped their positions once more, straddling Sasuke's stomach and pinning his writsts to the floor. "Ha!"

Sasuke groaned, finally catching his breath, "Fine, you win this time, usuratonkachi."

Feeling satisfied, the blonde teen started to get up. He put a bit of pressure on Sasuke's arms, which he was still pinning down, and using it to push himself up. This caused a hiss of pain from the other teen.

Naruto froze immediately, "Shit, Sasuke, did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm okay," he took a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" Naruto said as he checked him over for any signs of injury. His blue eyes lingered on Sasuke's pale writsts. There were dozens of scars, ranging from pale pink to a medium red. They intersected horizantally all over.

_But none of them are new_, Naruto thought.

"Sasuke, you've been taking your meds...right?" his eyes were full of worry and anxiety.

"For the hundredth time, yes, Naruto," Sasuke didn't know what the big deal was, he didn't think they made much of a difference anyway.

Naruto hesitated, "...Okay. I just don't want you to do something stupid, you know? I don't want to lose you."

"I know, Naruto...I know. I'll be careful. Just...please..." He didn't have to go any further, Naruto knew what he was trying to say _'I'm trying. Just, can we please not talk about this?'_

It was a sore subject for Sasuke, and Naruto didn't blame him.

Ever since his parents' deaths and Itachi's admittance into the hospital, Sasuke had suffered from a severe case of depression. He'd cut himself on many occasions, and even attempted suicide. Twice. After the second attempt, Naruto had been so shaken up that he went to extreme measures to make sure that it didn't happen again. He'd had people keep an eye on Sasuke whenever they could, made random surprise visits, and slept overmuch more often, just to name a few.

Naturally, Sasuke quickly got fed up with it and eventually to Naruto that he would _try_ not to do it again, but no guarantees. To make up for that, he had allowed Naruto to watch him take his medicine, making sure that he did take it. They came to an agreement and there hadn't really been any incidents since then, but in a way, Sasuke seemed to have gotten worse.

He didn't cut, as far as Naruto knew, but he was still depressed a lot of the time. To add to that, he was also becoming malnourished and developing a case of insomnia, as Naruto called it. Because it wasn't technically insomnia, it was just that Sasuke rarely got much sleep; he spent most of his time working or doing schoolwork. He occasionally had time for recreational activities.

Sasuke was an incredible artist. Since he didn't talk much at lunch, or basically anywhere, he spent a lot of time just observing people. Because of this, he basically knew exactly how things were supposed to look, which really improved his artwork.

Naruto had once caught him trying to throw out a sketch of a beautifully detailed Sakura tree in full bloom. He reprimanded him for it and from then on, Sasuke kept all his drawings in a sketchbook that he always carried with him. Naruto smiled at the memory.

* * *

After Naruto had left sometime in the afternoon, Sasuke had taken a shower and gotten ready for work. Tonight, he would be at Akatsuki, but fortunately only at the bar.

He had planned to work his shift, go home, get some rest, and wake up early the next morning to finish an essay he had yet to even start. But, because one of the gods seemed hell bent on setting him up for failure, one of his co-workers had called in sick; therefore forcing Sasuke to work her shift as well.

So now, here he was, sitting in the library during his lunch period, trying to finish the godforsaken essay. Suddenly, the bell rang, leaving Sasuke with a half-finished essay and a rumbling stomach.

_Fuck_, Sasuke thought, grudgingly packing up his books.

Now pissed off, he made his way to his locker, roughly shoving books into it.

With that done, he turned and began walking to his next class, pushing past a group of overly muscular guys with abnormally large builds. One of them seemed to get offended by Saske's rudeness, and grabbed the back of his collar, roughly pulling the dark haired teen backwards.

Sasuke had just enough time to let out a surprised gasp before he was slammed back against the lockers.

"Who do you think you are, punk?"

Sasuke didn't answer him, too focused on the sharp pain that was radiating from a point on the small of his back. The edge of one the locks was digging into his spine. Sasuke's lack of response only seemed to get the other teen even angrier.

"Answer me! What's wrong with you? Say something, dammit!"

Sasuke was getting fed up with this. He was tired of these idiots harassing him because they thought his small size would make him easy prey.

"You know what? No, because every time I talk to you, my IQ drops ten points." And with that, Sasuke sucker punched the guy in the face, causing him to release his grip on Sasuke's collar and clutch his face in pain. The dark haired teen sighed in relief when he was finally able to take the pressure off of the lock digging into his back.

He brought his arm behind his back where the injury was, rubbing it to ease the pain. This put him in the perfect position for one of the other rawny guys to make his move, seizing Sasuke's other arm and twisting it behind his back painfully. Sasuke growled and used all his force to throw himself backwards, ramming his attacker into the lockers. This gave him the chance to wrench his arms free, kicking the guy in the head, successfully knocking him out.

_Two down, two to go._

Another person attacked him from the side, landing a powerful blow to Sasuke's jaw.there was a sickening crack, and the Sasuke was falling, the pure force of the punch knocking him off his feet. He expected to land face first onto the hard, tiled floor.

Instead, he was seized by a pair of rough, muscular arms. The guy got in a kick to the stomach before throwing Sasuke to the ground. His back slammed into the lockers and he coughed up some blood, nearly blacking out.

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

* * *

Naruto was on his way to his sixth period class when he heard a loud crash, followed by someone yelling. He thought about making a detour and find out what was happening, but decided against it because he would definitely get a detention for being late again.

He was about to continue on his way when he heard another crash, followed by another, and another. Then he heard a smacking sound, which he recognized immediately as flesh hitting flesh.He knew it was just some idiots getting into a fight, but something told him he just had to go check, He never expected one of those idiots to be Sasuke.

As soon as Naruto rounded the corner, the first thing he saw was Sasuke half-lying, half-sitting against the lockers. There was a large bruise already forming on the side of his jaw and a trail of blood coming from his lips. His clothes were rustled and Naruto could just barely make out some dark bruises on Sasuke's collarbone and neck. There was blood everywhere.

After that, all Naruto saw was red.

* * *

**As I said above, I've decided I'll wait until I get **_**at **_**least**_** 5 reviews until I continue. **_**I have the rest of the chapter written, but I don't think I should post it yet. I mean, come on. 92 hits and 3 reviews?!**

**Well, once again, thanks to the people who actually took the time to review. It is greatly appreciated.**

On a side note, 'nakama' is commonly used in Bleach. It would be used to describe, say, Ichigo and Rukia, as opposed to Ichigo and someone like Keigo, whom would be referred to as only 'tomodachi'.

**Til then, pleasant somethings, minna.**


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